by M. L. Briers
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
BROTHERS
DEXTER’S PACK
LIAM
BY
M.L. BRIERS
Copyright © 2017, M L Briers
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced whatsoever without written permission of the author, except for brief exerts in reviews. Any unauthorised reproduction or distribution of the material herein is illegal and may result in criminal proceedings. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded to the internet or distributed via electronic or print without prior consent.
Note from the Author;
All names, places, and incidents contained herein are purely fictional and have no basis in actual events or linked to actual Humans, Witches, Vampires, Werewolves, Lycans, Werebears or persons living, dead or undead.
Copyright © 2017, Cover Design by; Rebecca Pau at The Final Wrap.
Table of Contents
BROTHERS
DEXTER’S PACK
LIAM
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
CHAPTER ONE
~
The three alphas were all sitting together around one of the back tables in the bar. They were locked in deep conversation that, to an outsider, looked to be a little heated at times.
Justice, Landon, and Dexter were apparently debating the pros and cons of allowing the new guy, Liam, to stay on the mountain after his trial period, and Connor was acting as a mediator to the event. Not that the vampire was a good influence on the proceedings, especially with his need to get as many jibes in where he could for his own gratification.
Agatha sat at the bar and eyed the progress. She’d decided to leave the confines of the castle for the night.
It was a case of get out or go stir crazy and accidentally killed something out of pure boredom. The place might have had more rooms than she’d managed to discover yet in her meanderings, but the place still had walls, big thick ones, and she’d found them closing in around her. Not in an Indiana Jones way, more in mentally climbing them way…
From where she sat at the bar; it looked like the kind of interesting debate that almost made her wish that she had supernatural shifter hearing so that she could eavesdrop on everything that was being said, pick up every word, even the ones that they issued in hushed tones, as well as the louder blunt exchanges that you didn’t need super-hearing for.
Dexter had pushed up to his feet numerous times already, as if he was about to stalk off out of the bar, but he’d been talked back down by the vampire, and he’d finally taken to sit there as if he had a rod of steel embedded in his spine and was chewing on an imaginary wasp…
She guessed that things didn’t look so rosy for the new guy that was looking to make the mountain his home.
Agatha, on the other hand, was seeing life from the other end of the problem. She needed to leave the mountain and find herself a permanent home, because after helping Dexter’s pack to kill the alpha Zane, there was no way in hell that she could go back to hers.
Connor and Vicky had allowed her to stay at their Castle, and she had a whole wing of the place to herself to explore, but it wasn’t hers, and it wasn’t really a home. Not the kind of home that she’d always longed for – a little cottage or a cabin somewhere would do her just fine – far enough away from mischief makers, vampires, and shifters would be even better.
She didn’t feel comfortable being anywhere near Lily. Jacob’s mate had tried to offer a rather uncomfortable hand of friendship out to her, probably at Vicky’s request, and yet, she’d had a hand in hunting the woman for Zane, and that crazy alpha bear had almost killed her.
All she wanted was to be left alone.
No more helping shifters.
No more living with a vampire … just some peace, and to wallow in nature as every good witch should.
Not that she was a good witch – she didn’t see herself that way. There was good and bad in everybody, and she’d let her emotions and her loyalties cloud her better judgement for a while where Zane was concerned.
She’d like to think of that as ancient history, but being on the mountain where she’d had a hand in Zane’s death didn’t exactly afford her the opportunity to leave it all behind in the past.
“That’s not…!” Dexter pushed up to his feet once more, and Agatha flicked a look in his direction.
His big hands were fisted at his sides, and everyone else at the table went a little more rigid, a little more alert and ready for the man to explode … or something…
“Sit down, Dexter, you’re not going to storm out and we all know it. You want this resolved and so do we,” Justice pointed out to his brother.
The alpha leant back in his chair and looked to the outside world as if he was as cool as a cucumber, and yet Agatha could see the tension that he held within his body.
She was used to living with shifters and their explosive, fiery temperaments. It might have been bears and not wolves, and bears were a little more unpredictable, but still, when the fur flew – she knew better than anyone to duck.
“I can’t see what possible problem you have with Liam,” Dexter grumbled in place of a growl. There were enough humans within the confines of the bar to make that natural sound impossible to let loose.
“He has a roving eye…” Landon offered back, and the alpha bear’s deep tones rumbled all the way to where Agatha was sitting.
She revelled in that sound, missed it…
“Not for mates,” Dexter shot back, “and which one of us didn’t get our fair share of…”
“He’s constantly chasing tail…” Justice offered back.
“Define … tail.” Connor smirked.
“Not that kind…” Justice sneered.
“Just checking,” Connor offered back.
“Well, he’s not been bringing them home – not unless he’s been sneaking them out again real stealthy like,” Dexter grumbled back.
“He’s butted heads and fists with a few of my clan,” Landon pointed out.
“Which of us haven’t?” Dexter shot back. “Look, I’ll have a word with him and get him to stay away from the clan…”
“Could you get him to change his personality while you’re at it?” Connor asked. “The man’s fine around the ladies, but as soon as he sees a male his fur’s right there under his skin.”
“He has … dominance issues…” Dexter admitted.
The man was an alpha, pure and si
mple, and the beast inside the man knew it. Liam was trying to get a handle on that – rein himself and his beast in, and a pack of alpha wolves might not have been the perfect place for him to do it, or it could have been the making of the man.
Either way – Dexter wanted the guy to have the chance to find out.
“He runs around peeing up trees a lot…?” Connor asked with his usual glib expression, and Landon chuckled a deep, gravelly sound that reminded Agatha of home…
“Yeah, and he’s going to be a houseguest at your castle for a week or two…” Dexter grumbled back.
“I have a dungeon,” Connor assured him.
“Look, just give the guy a chance to settle, to fit in here,” Dexter growled just a little, and with a flick of her eyes towards the table, Agatha could see that the other two alphas prickled just a little more.
“Fine, one more week.” Landon shrugged his broad shoulders in acceptance of Dexter’s words.
“Someone’s going soft in their advancing years,” Connor teased, and Landon prickled a little more.
“Don’t make me reach down your throat and turn you inside out, Connor…” Landon warned him.
The alpha sat forward in his chair and eyed the vampire. It looked to Agatha like it was a case of which supernatural being was going to be the first to blink…
CHAPTER TWO
~
“That’s so last season’s look for Vampires,” Connor whispered back, and the bear shifter snorted a chuckle.
“Tell him to shit or get off the damn pot, cos this is his last chance,” Justice said, pushing up to his full height and sidestepping the table. Agatha guessed that was the man’s last word on the subject as he headed for the bar.
“I don’t think his wolf is going to get the hang of crapping in a pot…” Connor grinned, and Justice threw him a scowl back over his shoulder as the vampire walked over to join his friend. “Ooo, someone’s not getting any sleep with their pup at the moment … sense of humour malfunction?”
“Perhaps it’s time that Uncle Connor babysat again…” Justice sneered back.
“Is the little tyke still pooping luminous green with a smell like decaying bodies marinated in swap water?” Connor enquired and Justice huffed. “I’ll take that as a yes, because, frankly, that scent is clinging to you.”
Justice dipped his chin towards his chest and sniffed hard … he pulled his head back and cleared his throat…
“That’s not my fault,” he grumbled.
Agatha couldn’t help but chuckle, and he shot her an apologetic look…
“I can’t smell it,” she held up her hand and waved his worries away. He grunted on a shrug.
“This too shall pass, my friend,” Connor said, walking up behind Justice and slapping him on the back…
“I think my mate wants a big family, so it’ll be a while,” Justice offered back.
“She’s a witch. Maybe she can magic that fragrant scent away,” Connor offered back. “Maybe, make them smell less like little swamp monsters, and more like a good fart.”
Justice rallied towards the vampire, but Connor was already taking a step backwards with his hands held up to his chest in surrender…
“I’ll babysit this weekend,” Connor offered fast. “Kill me now and you won’t get the weekend off to mate your mate.”
Justice grumbled, but then the thought of some alone time with his mate made him brighten a little … he gave a grunt.
“Ah, the way to a man’s heart, time alone with the little woman,” Connor teased.
~
~
~
Scotch and females. Liam felt his wolf bristling under the surface of his skin and knew that he needed to be around both to keep that wolf in its place…
The beast was on the prowl within him again. It wanted out and he wanted some peace and quiet for once, and the only time that he got that was when the wolf was in full protection mode around the weaker sex.
Liam knew that the beast wanted a pack of its own. Its need to protect was strong and he didn’t have anyone to look out for, keep safe, and keep the wolf content with its lot in life.
Liam didn’t want the full on responsibility of a pack to protect. He knew that there was so much more to being an alpha than just making sure that nothing happened to his people, and so he’d left his old pack when things started to become an issue for his beast.
Now he was on the vampire’s mountain with Dexter’s alpha crew, and that felt ok. Especially as his wolf was still testing the waters within the group.
There were also plenty of human females down in the town that he could kid himself that he was protecting, but what he really needed was a Hail Mary – a mate – and he’d heard tale that the mountain seemed to attract mates, albeit, witches…
He’d been there for nearly three weeks and he hadn’t found a female that he wanted to bed – relieve some pent up tension inside him with – let alone his mate.
He had found a few bears to butt heads with, and that was always good for easing the clawing within him.
Liam slammed the door to his truck and started across the tarmac towards the bar. He picked up the unfamiliar scent of bears in the air and stored them for future reference.
While it was true that he hadn’t met all of Landon’s clan yet, he was looking forward to butting heads with the rest of them in due course…
His eyes scanned the area, and his wolf prickled against his skin. Something didn’t feel right…
The sound of the door to the bar opening, and all the chatter that spilled out from inside, drew his attention in that direction…
He noted the female that walked outside and seemed to scent the air like she hadn’t smelt it in a while. There was a jolt to his senses and a good kick to his stomach at the sight of her being out in the open like that, exposed to her surroundings, and so damn vulnerable.
With the sense that something was off around him gnawing inside, it made his beast push forward to where it clawed just beneath his skin – the wolf was in full protection mode once more…
Liam heard the rustle of foliage that came from off to his left and he didn’t like it. Who hung around in the woods, lurking like that if they weren’t up to no good?
He picked up the scent of the unfamiliar bear once more – and his beast growled long and hard in warning…
One moment he was stalking towards the woman, and the next – he’d sped up, wrapped a hand around her arm, and spun her behind his back with the soft sound of a squeal that came from her lips. He didn’t care – something was about to go down – he could feel it within his bones.
Liam felt his claws and fangs pushing to get out…
“Are you crazy…?” Agatha bit out.
Her shields had gone on hyper alert at the presence of the shifter the moment that she’d seen him coming her way. Now they were being battered by his touch, by his close proximity as they warned her, rather belatedly, that supernatural trouble was near.
Not that she needed her magic to point that one out...
The man was so easily identifiable as a damn shifter. The height, the build, the muscles upon hard muscles … the attitude.
Agatha knew the type – she was a poor defenceless human and he was a big, hard, mean shifter …
Me Tarzan – You Jane. Go figure.
Liam knew immediately that he was dealing with a witch. He didn’t need that to be pointed out by her snarky attitude, or the scent of Fae in the air as he sniffed, looking for signs of those damn bears…
Her scent filled the area around him and it teased and tantalised his whole body into submission. His muscles were already locked and loaded, ready to take on any danger that might show itself, but after taking in her scent – every inch of his body wanted more…
“I think I might just be crazy…” Liam growled back…
He’d done it.
He’d found what he was looking for…
Mine…
His beast stated the claim. Ce
rtain that the female was their mate and that was good enough for him.
He didn’t know whether to praise the ancestors, thank fate, or to curse his luck that his mate was a witch.
He didn’t have time to think too hard on that before they came from the darkness and attacked…
CHAPTER THREE
~
Kent wasn’t happy that his clan brother had gone off half cocked.
They’d been told by the new alpha of their clan to watch and wait and see what the witch did next. Nowhere in that statement were the words – go full bear-crazy at Agatha’s new protector – but then, Marco always did have a thing for the little witch…
Unfortunately, for him, she didn’t share that sentiment.
When Zane had gone all crazy bear and had taken Agatha with him to track down the witch that had slayed his mate, Raul had seized upon that moment to take on all challengers to be the alpha of the clan.
They’d all known that one way or the other Zane wouldn’t be back, and if by some miracle he had returned – then they would have had to take care of his crazy bear themselves.
The man had gone over to the darker side, and that was a threat to everybody.
Kent had tracked the pair of them to the mountain. He’d seen Agatha go against her better judgement out of loyalty to her alpha and had helped him hunt down witch’s sister.
He’d almost stepped in to stop it when Zane had attacked the innocent woman that night and she’d barely escaped with her life … It still clawed at him that he hadn’t done something more to help the witch…
And then he’d watched Agatha finally realise that Zane wasn’t the man that she knew anymore, and had stopped protecting him so that the wolf pack could take care of the clan’s problem for them…
He’d reported it all back to Raul, and had been told to wait and watch. Apparently, the man was mulling over a decision on the witch’s fate…
It was damn wrong in his book.